A Crazy Random Happenstance
by EvilGenius27
Summary: Billy's washer and dryer break down, and he's forced to use the local laundromat. Oneshot, Penny's POV is up. My first published fanfic, please read and review. Criticism welcome!
1. Laundry Day

**Disclaimer**: Of course I don't own Dr. Horrible or anything associated with The Blog. Anything you recognize here belongs to Joss Whedon :)

Laundry Day

Billy couldn't believe it. He, Dr. Horrible, forced to use a laundromat on the corner.

Laundry day was usually bad enough as it was, but ever since the washer and dryer in his apartment had become the latest victims of one of his many failed experiments, he had decided that a coin wash was a better alternative to an apartment full of soot covered lab coats.

He decided to invest in a new washer and dryer as soon as possible as he angrily shoved his laundry into the machine and inserted his change. It was much more convenient, and the time spent waiting for the spin cycle to run it's course could be spent fine tuning his latest invention.

Billy leaned back on the whirring machine and looked around. He liked people-watching. He learned a lot about people that way, and it helped pass the time.

An old lady in the corner was reading a paperback book, waiting for her first load to dry.

A businessman across the room from him was talking loudly on his cellphone.

A teenager was bopping his head in time to the unnecessarily loud, so-called music emanating from his headphones.

Billy sighed and looked at the clock on the wall. It had only been thirty seconds and already he had exhausted his supply of distractions. He was beginning to wish he had brought a book along.

Billy heard the bell on the door signal the entrance of yet another laundry person (as he had decided to call them) and turned towards the sound. Just some girl. He turned around to check the time left on his washer. Fifty-eight minutes. Great.

He heard a washer starting up and noticed to his chagrin that the new girl had taken the washer two down from his. There were plenty of available ones across the room, why didn't she use one of those? He raised his gaze momentarily to get a look at the girl. Her head was down, her focus on the pile of dirty clothes in front of her.

She was not as plain as he had first supposed, in fact, she was sort of… pretty. Her auburn hair hung in loose, careless waves, framing her face. She had a smattering of freckles across her cheeks, and her greenish-grey eyes were absolutely stunning.

It took him a moment to realize that those eyes were looking at him.

He jumped in embarrassment and looked down, realizing that he had been caught staring. He risked a quick glance upwards and saw that she was still looking at him. As soon as he caught her eye she smiled. His supposedly genius brain tried to come up with a suitable response to this and finally decided another smile would be appropriate, but unfortunately a pained grimace was the best he could manage. Luckily she had looked down before she had a chance to notice. He looked down too, and resolved not to look at the girl or think about her again for the remaing… fifty-five minutes of his time here.

However, he couldn't stop himself from glancing over at her every few minutes. She was sitting cross-legged on her washer, engrossed in a paperback copy of Wuthering Heights. He wracked his brain for something to say, his vow not to think about her again forgotten. He went through a few potential conversations in his head, but they all sounded stupid. He considered mentioning the weather, but immediately scrapped the idea. The weather, really? Was that the best he could come up with?

Before he knew it, the telltale beep sounded, and his laundry was done. He pulled the sopping clothes out one at a time and put them into the basket to be transferred to the dryer. He set the timer for forty minutes, and looked back at the girl. She was still reading. He thought back to something Moist had said a few weeks ago.

"_You really need to get out more Doc. Meet new people, maybe even a girl…" he trailed off._

"_I'm an aspiring evil genius Moist, I don't have time for a girl," he had replied firmly, and quickly changed the subject._

But maybe if it was this girl…

He began thinking of conversation topics with a new fervor, but once again none seemed appropriate. What was there to talk about at a laundromat? He noticed that his dryer had stopped rumbling and stood up to collect his freshly laundered clothes into the basket. He realized that the old lady in the corner was leaving also.

"Oh well, there goes my shot." Billy thought as he carefully folded his lab coat. He'd most likely never see the girl again, but he supposed it didn't matter. Nothing would have come of it anyway. He hefted the basket up and headed towards the door, taking one last glance at the girl as he went.

His heart leaped. She was walking towards him.

No, that wasn't true, she was walking towards the old lady, who was half way out the door.

"Excuse me Mrs. Patrick, I think you dropped your sock," she said, holding out said garment. Billy decided that her voice matched her smile, sweet and friendly.

Mrs. Patrick took the sock from the girl and smiled. "Thank-you Penny, you're such a dear." She said. "I'll see you next Wednesday as usual I suppose? I'm nearly finished that book you lent me and I'd like to return it." She held up the book she had been reading.

"Yes, I'll be here. Do you like the book so far?" The girl – Penny – replied. The two began discussing whatever book it was they were talking about, but Billy didn't stay to listen.

He walked outside, shielding his eyes from the bright sun, and headed towards his apartment, unaware of the smile on his face.

So her name was Penny, he mused. It fit her somehow. And she went to the laundromat every Wednesday? Suddenly he decided that buying a new washer and dryer set wasn't as urgent as he had first thought.

**AN: Okay, my first published fanfic! I started it in careers and finished it during gym class, all in one day.** **Reviews welcome of course!**


	2. Laundry Day: Penny's POV

**Disclaimer: **Of course I don't own Dr. Horrible or anything associated with The Blog. Anything you recognize here belongs to Joss Whedon :)

Laundry Day (Penny's POV)

Penny was glad it was Wednesday. Wednesday was laundry day, and Penny loved laundry day. She'd had a very stressful few days, what with Terry moving out, getting fired from her secretarial job, and volunteering at the homeless shelter, and she was looking forward to the soothing hum of the washer. Penny found that doing laundry had an almost therapeutic quality. She loved the smell of laundry detergent and fabric softener, the feel of the warm clothes, and the repetitive motion folding them. It also gave her time to read, which she loved but could never find time for.

She pushed open the door and heard the familiar chime of the bell. She had been coming here so often she hardly noticed it anymore.

She headed for her usual washer and noticed someone only two down from hers. He was new, he had to be, she knew most of the regulars.

Mrs. Patrick was sitting in her usual spot, reading the copy of Oliver Twist Penny had lent her.

The businessman whose name she didn't know was yelling angrily into his cellphone as usual.

Simon (or Psymon as he preferred to be called) was listening to some sort of heavy metal on his headphones.

She started up her washer and began separating her clothes, glancing up and smiling at Mrs. Patrick across the room. As she measured out the amount of detergent she would need, she noticed out of the corner of her eye that the new guy was staring at her. She looked up. He jumped in what she believed to be embarrassment, and suddenly became intensely interested in the various buttons on his washer. She took his distraction as a chance to get a closer look at him.

He was sort of attractive, in a shy, nerdy way. Not at all like Terry. Terry was big, six foot two, and loud. The new guy's sandy brown hair stuck up a little in front, she thought it was cute.

Suddenly he looked up and met her eye. She smiled automatically, but, realizing that she had been staring, looked down quickly.

She considered introducing herself, starting up a conversation, but decided against it. She had just broken up with Terry, the last thing she needed was another failed relationship.

She finished putting the clothes in the washer and closed the top. Of course, she reminded herself, simply having a conversation with someone didn't mean you were automatically in a relationship. She could just ask him his name, and take it from there. If they got along well enough, maybe she would have someone to talk to at the laundromat, and if they got along really well then perhaps they could…

No, she stopped herself right there. She was about to think about dating again, and after a string of horrible, failed relationships, she had resolved to take a break from men. Besides, he might never come here again, and there was no point becoming friends with him if that was the case.

She jumped onto her washer and pulled out her favorite book of all time, Wuthering Heights. She'd had this copy ever since her thirteenth birthday, and the pages were yellowed and worn from all the times she had reread it. She supposed she could buy a new copy, but she just couldn't bring herself to throw this one out. It was the last birthday present her grandmother had given her before she had passed away. There were passages in the book she knew so well she could recite them from memory.

As she read, she noticed the new guy glancing at her every few minutes. Eventually though, his washer stopped and he moved over to the dryers, out of her line of sight. All thoughts of him were banished from her mind, along with all her worries and problems, as she became entangled in the tragic romance of Heathcliff and Catherine. Mrs. Patrick asked her how she could read a book so many times, know the ending, and still enjoy it. Penny replied that it was _because_ she knew it so well she enjoyed it. The story had become like a well-worn-in pair of jeans, comfortable and familiar.

She looked up to check the time and realized that the new guy and Mrs. Patrick were leaving. She nodded politely at Mrs. Patrick as she passed. Mrs. Patrick was her twelfth grade English teacher, and they had stayed in contact through their mutual love of books. They swapped every now and then.

She was just about to go back to her book when she saw a sock roll out of Mrs. Patrick's very full laundry basket and fall to the floor, unnoticed. Penny hopped off her washer and swept up the lone sock.

She walked past the new guy, who appeared to have forgotten something, and lightly tapped the old woman on the shoulder.

"Excuse me Mrs. Patrick, I think you dropped your sock," she said, and handed it out to her.

Mrs. Patrick's eyes softened when she turned and took the forgotten sock. "Thank-you Penny, you're such a dear." She said. "I'll see you next Wednesday as usual I suppose? I'm nearly finished that book you lent me and I'd like to return it." She held up Oliver Twist, and Penny noticed that the bookmark was more than four-fifths of the way through.

"Yes, I'll be here. Do you like the book so far?" Penny asked. She heard the bell on the door ring and realized the new guy had left.

"Oh yes, it was very good. Thank-you for lending it to me. I'll bring "A Tale of Two Cities" for you next week if you'd like."

Penny heard the timer on her washer go off and decided to say goodbye. Mrs. Patrick was nice, but when she got started, she could talk for hours.

"That would be great Mrs. Patrick. Well, I'll see you next week!"

"Goodbye then, Penny." Mrs. Patrick replied, and walked out the door.

Penny slowly started pulling her clothes out of the washer and began deciding which flavour of frozen yogurt she would get on the way home.

**AN: Well, there's Penny's POV. I chose Wuthering Heights as Penny's favorite book because I think it sort of parallels the relationship between Penny and Billy. Also, it's my favorite book ;) And yes, I decided to make Penny a bookworm because I am one as well. Reviewers will get cookies!**


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